There is a saying – when you are steering your ship into unknown waters, a reliable deck is your support.
Any vessel must be reliable in terms of strength and stability of its hull. This is especially true of inflatable boats, which are essentially soft, but the inflated tubes and keel, as well as the stationary transom (if provided by the boat’s design), make the hull of a light inflatable motor vessel rigid and stable at speed.
An integral part of the boat’s hull, which makes it monolithic, is the bottom deck, it is, so to speak, the final link and the keystone of all the component parts.
Some light models of KOLIBRI boats do not have a bottom deck in the basic configuration, where it is not critical, for example, for quiet fishing and short oar crossings. But even these models have their own floorboards, which can be purchased additionally. With a hard floor, even in the parking lot, it is easier for a person to stand or change his position inside the cockpit.
Floorboards come in different types and sizes – it depends on the model of the inflatable boat. Floorboards are made of moisture-resistant plywood, aluminum or PVC fabric.
● Slatted laminated deck
It is made of strips of moisture-resistant plywood with a thickness of 9 mm and has an anti-slip coating. Pockets for it are made of PVC fabric and welded on high-frequency welding equipment. These pockets prevent chafing on the sides of the boat. There is also a separate triangular bow part of such a floorboard.
● Folding flooring (sole-book)
This floorboard is made for KOLIBRI rowing and motor boats. It is located along the entire length of the boat and consists of three to five sections of 9 mm moisture-resistant plywood glued together with PVC tapes.
● Plywood floorboard with stringers
This deck is installed on the “Profi” and “SL” series of KOLIBRI boats, made of 12 mm moisture-resistant plywood. The aluminum stringers of this floorboard make the deck of the inflatable boat rigid and strong. The aluminum profile protects the ends of the plywood flooring around the perimeter.
● Aluminum floorboard with stringers
It is installed on motorized keel inflatable boats “Profi”, “SL” and “XL” KOLIBRI. This floorboard is strong and does not corrode. Made of 12.6 mm thick anodized aluminum with a non-slip surface, its porous structure increases rigidity and reduces its weight.
● Inflatable floorboard Air-Deck
Air-deck (air-deck) – high-pressure (0.6-1.0 Bar) inflatable bottom decking, 80-100 mm thick. Air-deck consists of two layers of PVC fabric connected by thousands of threads forming a honeycomb structure.
The weight of this floorboard is twice as light as traditional plywood decks, they are compact, assembled in a small bag, inflated with a high-pressure pump. There are two types of such floorboard – for rowing and motor boats.
Floorboard is chosen depending on the model of the boat. There are models of inflatable boats KOLIBRI for which our floorboards of various types are suitable. The choice is yours, but be sure that all types of KOLIBRI floorboards are of high quality, tested by time and have a manufacturer’s warranty.
Therefore, waves of unexpected challenges can be overcome only on a reliable deck.